9 member Ukrainian family shot to death
Member in the Russian-occupied eastern Ukrainian village of Volnovakha, a family of nine, including two little children, was found shot dead in their house. The murder has provoked indignation in Ukraine and prompted investigations by both countries. The Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office in Ukraine released photos of a horrifying murder scene in which many family members were murdered while in bed, still cradled in one other’s arms, and bloodstains were evident on the walls. According to Russian officials, two Russian troops have been detained in connection with the deaths, however Ukraine claims the family was killed by Russian occupying forces after an altercation.
Russian military have been occupying Volnovakha since March 2022, when Moscow brutally invaded its neighbour the previous month. Earlier this month, armed men dressed in “military uniform demanded that the family living there vacate the house to accommodate a Russian army unit,” according to the Ukrainian Donetsk Region Prosecutor’s Office. Based on initial information, the office stated on Monday that “the attackers threatened his family members with physical violence and left” when the home’s owner refused.
The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office reported that a few days later, gunmen came and “shot all nine members of the family, who were already asleep at that time.” Regarding the breach of the rules and customs of war, a pre-trial inquiry was started in criminal proceedings,” the statement stated. According to Russian authorities, two troops were taken into custody on Monday in relation to the nine murders that occurred in Volnovakha.
As per the committee, on October 28, the remains of nine people of Volnovakha, including two children, who were found shot to death on the premises of a private residential residence, prompted the opening of an inquiry. According to Russian authorities, the original determination of “the crime’s motive” was “a conflict on domestic grounds.”
The committee stated, “The suspects were detained and taken to the investigative department, where they are currently being involved in investigative and procedural actions aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the incident, as well as consolidation of the evidence base.” As Moscow’s soldiers trample civilian neighbourhoods, Ukrainian forces have resisted a fresh Russian attack in eastern Ukraine this month. Mandatory evacuations of civilians, especially children, from locations near the fighting lines in the east and south have also been requested by Ukraine.